I'd Lie
by 42Lia
Summary: She looks at him. She dreams of him. She wants him. But if you asked her: do you love him? She's always ... always ... lie. A small story based on the song "I'd lie". I don't own the APH characters sadly or the song. Rated T to be safe.


**I'd lie**

"Seychelles?"

The blond, twenty year old man peeked inside the dark living room with his emerald green eyes. His thick eyebrows furrowed as he looked through the darkness and locked on the small figure crawled up in a corner of the room. He walked silently over; the only sound heard being the wimping and soft sobs of the trembling figure.

Arthur Kirkland laid his hand the small, 10 year old girl's shoulder and she looked up with tearful eyes. She was small and thin, with a tanned skin, long and dark brown hair falling loosely on her shoulders and big golden eyes full of sadness, anger, hatred, pain, sorrow and fear.

"Seychelles." The personification of England called in a soft whisper. He had always hated seeing children cry. He wiped the girl's face of its tears with his thumb, gently and caring. He really hated seeing children cry.

The girls stopped trembling but still looked at him with both fear and anger. She was afraid and wanted to go back home. But that was impossible. She belonged to that man now. Her Papa was powerless and she had been taken away. Seychelles looked in the man's green orbs and poured all her suffering in her stare hoping to make the man feel guilty.

Arthur didn't blink. He was used to people staring at him with rage and hatred and especially fear. He sighed.

"Ariel." He called, this time with a louder, more determined voice but still soft enough not to scare her.

At the sound of her human name, Seychelles jumped but kept staring at the man with suspicion.

"Oui?" she whispered a reply, barely holding back the hatred that leaked out her voice.

"Stop crying. Crying won't solve anything and you know this." the man lectured her. He knew from experience. Crying had never brought him anything and so he never cried anymore … well almost.

Seychelles didn't answer. She knew he was right but that didn't mean that she was going to admit it. She looked away and buried her face in her crossed arms over her folded legs. She shivered slightly under her thin blue dress because of the cold. Arthur sighed and ran a hand in his messy golden hair. He got up and left but came back a few minutes later with a large, warm blanket and a book. He dropped the things on the settee facing the fire place and then lit up a small comforting fire. Ariel looked at the man from the corner of her eye and felt a vague of relief as she saw him lightening up the fire place. She was at the other end of the room and wanted to get nearer the dancing flames but she didn't want to give England the satisfaction of seeing her eat his bait. He may own her body but he would never own her soul! She crawled up on herself even more, trying to contain her body heat in the cold Victorian mansion.

Arthur looked back at her. He knew she wouldn't move unless he made her. He called her with a loud but still soft voice. It had been a while since he had to take care of someone and it usually were boys, like America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, …

He wasn't very sure how to treat a girl, worried she might get frightened if he raised his voice too much or spoke too aggressively. He didn't regret making her his colony and taking her away from France. That was the way the world worked. But that didn't mean he was a heartless monster and wouldn't care for his new colony.

"Ariel. Come over and sit on the settee in front of the fire. You'll catch a cold if you stay over there on your own, especially in winter."

Seychelles looked up as the blond was now leaving the room again. She waited for him to be out of sight then ran swiftly and eagerly to the large, red settee and extended her arms towards the laughing flames. Relief covered her face and as she felt the warmth wrap around her, she lay back and crawled in a ball under the soft, white with a strange red flower design, cashmere blanket. She felt her eyelids slowly close but shot her eyes wide open again as she felt someone sit down next to her. She looked up and met sparkling emerald eyes.

"Tea?" Arthur smiled gently while offering her one of the two mugs he held. She took it but stared suspiciously at the drink. Papa France had told her about this 'tea' drink and had said that it was an awful, extremely bitter drink with a horrible taste. She felt the man's gaze on her and risked a sip. After all, she was his property now and so she would have to obey his every command even if it poisoned her. Eyes shut in dread with a frown on her face; Ariel gulped a mouthful of her drink and waited for the bitterness and the disgust to invade her delicate French pallet. She never felt it. Her eyes opened wide in surprise and she stared in shock at the light brown milky content of her mug. It wasn't bitter and didn't fill her in disgust. In fact, it was rather nice and relaxing. Seychelles could taste the flavour of the herbs married with the creaminess of the milk and some sweet aftertaste that pleased her papillae. She heard Arthur's silent chuckle and looked at him.

Arthur grinned at the confused look on the girl's face. France had probably told her that his tea was poisonous or something like that. She looked like she was surprise about the taste.

"It's not poison or anything of the sort. I don't know what Francis told you but my cooking is not as bad as he makes it sound. Besides, I know how to adapt to a child's taste. I didn't infuse the tea leafs for too long so not to have a strong taste and I added milk and honey to your tea to make it sweeter and less bitter. Is it enjoyable? If you want it sweeter, I can always add more sugar." He told her with a small smile before taking a sip of his own cup.

Ariel looked at the man and somehow felt warmer. She wasn't afraid or angry anymore. She still was suspicious but the man only seemed to be worried about her well – being. She drank her tea in silence, enjoying the sweetness of the honey mixed to the soft, creamy taste of the milk and the overall light flavour of the tea. She liked it. It was warm and pleasurable, especially on a dark, cold winter night, with falling snow out the window, a dancing fire in front of her, in a comfortable seat, wrapped in a soft blanket and snuggled next to …

_I don't think the passenger seat_

_Has ever looked this good to me_

_He tells me about his night_

_And I count the colours in his eyes_

"Do you feel any better?" Arthur asked with a concerned look.

She nodded, her gaze following the movements of the flames in the chimney. The older man picked up the book he had brought in earlier and settling himself more comfortably in his seat, he opened it.

"Do you want me to read you something?"

Seychelles looked at the book with curiosity. It was large and had a hard deep brown cover, the title engraved in golden letter in English so Seychelles couldn't really understand it. She could barely read French and only slightly understood talking English. She nodded almost eagerly. She had always liked stories and her home was full of them. She saw the blond man smile and felt tingling in her stomach … why? What was that?

"Well, then. Let's see what story I'll read you …" England said as he ran through the titles of his old 'Fairy tales' book. He stopped at one and over read quickly the story before smiling and turning to the young girl with eager gold eyes.

"How about this one? It's called 'the Gingerbread Man'. It's an English fairy tale so I don't think you'd have heard of it."

Ariel kept staring at the man with impatient eyes. Arthur chuckled at her eagerness and started reading. He had a pleasant voice and read in such a way that Ariel felt she was in the story following the running little gingerbread man.

"Run, run as fast as you can; You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man" Arthur sang lightly and Ariel giggled. She liked this gingerbread man. But when the fox suddenly ate him, she felt sad and snuggled close to the blond man. She felt herself relax as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her lightly on the forehead. When she looked up at him and gazed in his emerald eyes, she felt her face warm up and her heart rate accelerate. Arthur smiled softly.

"Don't feel too sad about this … after all, the Gingerbread Man had an exciting and fun life. He got to see the world and discover new things, unlike all the other gingerbread men. You should be happy for him to have had such a happy life."

Seychelles smiled back faintly and nodded. Maybe living with this man wouldn't be so bad after all. She felt like the Gingerbread Man, heading for a new world of adventures with this beautiful looking fox. She looked at him run his fingers absently through his messy golden hair as he closed the book.

"Tomorrow, I'll read you something else if you like."

She nodded with delight. They both stayed silent, huddled to each other. He was gazing at the fire while she was staring at his gorgeous green eyes in the flames' changing light.

_He'll never fall in love he swears_

_As he runs his fingers through his hair_

_I'm laughing 'cause I hope he's wrong_

_And I don't think it ever crossed his mind_

_He tells a joke, I fake a smile_

_But I know all his favourite songs_

"Ariel? Hurry up! We'll never get there at this pace!" Arthur calls from downstairs while putting o his coat. Ariel quickly glanced at herself before running down the stairs in a white shirt, a long blue skirt and white boots. She grabbed her beige long coat and her blue scarf and wraps it around her neck, removing her long wavy brown hair. She noticed Arthur staring at her hair with a thoughtful look and she blushed lightly.

"What?" she snapped. She never talked to him without sounding angry from fear of letting out her feelings. She hated herself for having such feelings but after living for a whole year with this man, she had only recently understood why she constantly felt her heart skip in her chest each she heard his voice or why her face burned each time he looked at her.

"It's nothing. I was just wondering … Are you ready?" he asked as he put his black top hat on his golden head and headed outside in the cold snow of winter followed by Seychelles.

Last year, Seychelles had been surprised by the snow. She had never seen it before coming to England and had found it mysterious and enchanting. Now, although she was used to it, it still looked enchanting and made her giggle with delight at the sight of the falling white crystals.

They rode in a carriage down town. England's house was a on the town's border and separated from the normal humans. He possessed a large manor and a huge property with it and was known by humans under the title of 'Lord Kirkland'.

Seychelles looked at the landscape pass them as they rode closer and finally reached the town's centre. They got out and wandered, close to each other and holding hands as to avoid getting separated in the massive crowd. It was soon to be Christmas and everyone was out doing their Christmas preparation and shopping. Seychelles held on tightly to England's warm hand and breathed heavily while trying to stop her mad blush on her face. She still looked like a ten year old kid and she knew England saw her more as a sister than a potential … lover. But she couldn't help feeling self – conscious when around him and it made her angry at herself.

They walked passed a group of young women who eyed Arthur appreciatively before giggling. Ariel felt a sudden rage and squeezed Arthur's hand tighter. The older nation noticed and turned to glance at Seychelles. She looked angry again but Arthur didn't understand the reason for such anger. He was hoping to please her by taking her out Christmas shopping. He stopped walking and turned to face her, kneeling down a bit so that their faces were almost at the same level.

"Ariel? Is something wrong?"

Ariel felt her face heat up and looked away.

"No … nothing. I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look angry at something."

"I'm fine! I almost tripped, that's all!"

Arthur eyed her suspiciously. He would have felt it if she was about to trip since they were holding hands. As he was wondering whether to ask her again (this time for the truth) a beautiful young woman came up to him.

"Is something wrong? Can I help you Sir?" she asked with a pleasant but seductive smile aimed at Arthur. Seychelles recognised her as one of the giggling women from before and she glared at her. England got back up and addressed the stranger with his gentlemanly smile before answering in a smooth voice.

"Thank you very much, my Lady but I don't think there's anything for you to be concerned about."

"Oh, that's good to hear! Um … Wouldn't you by any chance be the young Kirkland Lord?" she asked with eager eyes.

"That would be me. I am surprise you know of my name."

"Oh, every wom … everybody in town knows about you, Lord Kirkland. A young, unmarried, rich Lord who regularly attends the court and is rumoured to be a close advisor to the Queen."

Arthur smirked slightly.

"My! What compliments! I can assure you that I am merely one of the many Lords who attend court and my relation to the Queen is little more than acquaintance."

"I see. But that still is quite impressive for someone of such young age!"

Arthur held back a laugh. 'Young'? He may look in his early twenties but he was centuries old. He felt Seychelles' grip on his hand tighten and noticed her glaring at the woman angrily.

"I am very flattered by your words, my Lady. It really is an honour, especially from such a beautiful woman. But I'm afraid we will have to end our delightful discussion, seeing as my young protégé looks tired and I'm worried about her catching a cold. I am sorry to leave so suddenly and hope to have the chance to see you in the near future." The gentleman said with a small bow and walked away with the small girl, leaving a blushing woman staring at him. She would never see him again in her life.

Ariel was glad that Arthur had left the woman behind to take care of her. It made her feel special. Arthur guided her to a small shop and the warmth the inside made her sigh in relief.

"Ariel?"

She looked up at the worried man and smiled brightly.

"I'm fine!"

He smiled back, reassured, before wandering around the shop. He was looking for something. Seychelles looked around and saw that it was a tailor's shop. She looked at a few materials and thought of the beautiful dress that could result of them when Arthur came back and surprised her when he ran his fingers through her long hair. He came to her from behind and she noticed his presence when she felt his soft hands brushing her brown hair. She jumped and let out a small surprised cry that made the man chuckle but he didn't stop.

"Don't move for a moment." he whispered in her ear.

Ariel held her breath and felt her heart pound loudly. She enjoyed Arthur's touch and was glad that she was turning her back to him or he would have seen her beetroot coloured face. She felt his hands play a bit before tying something in her hair. When he stopped, Ariel almost let out a cry of complains but managed to hold it back. He then guided her in front of a mirror and smiled as they both looked at their reflexion. She had two beautiful crimson ribbons tied in butterfly bows on each side of her head and loosely holding her hair.

"What do you think? Do you like it? I think it suits you. You look cute." Arthur praised with a childish glint in his green eyes.

Ariel nodded nervously, overjoyed by the man's compliments. She liked it too. It also had the same red colour as Christmas. And Arthur had chosen the ribbons! She liked it.

"Now, all we need is a star and you'd make the perfect Christmas tree!" Arthur joked as Ariel then scolded him with an angry glare but smiled broadly nonetheless. How much she loved it.

As they were walking back, they walked pass a group of children singing Christmas carols.

"We wish you a merry Christmas, we wish you merry Christmas, we wish you a merry Christmas and a happy new year!"

Arthur smiled at them before walking away. On the way back, Ariel would hear him hum the song, almost in a trance. She hummed with him as the carriage drove them back home.

_And I could tell you_

_His favourite colour's green_

_He likes to argue_

_Born on the seventeenth_

_His sister's beautiful; he has his father's eyes_

_And if you asked me if I love him, I'd lie_

It was a fun Christmas as well as all the Christmases that followed. Scotland, Wales, North and even South of Ireland would all come over and party with us. On Christmas, they would all seem to forget that they are nations and would simply be normal humans enjoying their family time together. It was so much fun. We would laugh and argue all the time all together. And the food was rich and filling but so delicious! Yes, it wasn't as amazing and refined as French food but it was pleasant and enjoyable. And certainly not poisonous! Arthur would always set up a big green Christmas tree in the centre of the large hall of the manor and decorate it and the whole house with it. His brothers and his sister North would always come over a couple of weeks earlier and help decorate the immense mansion and the boys would even go as far as setting lights in the trees in the gardens and outdoor decorations all around the outside of the house. It was beautiful!

On the day of the dinner, Ariel would always make sure that her clothes were right and looked good. She would always wear her red ribbons to tie her hair may it be Christmas or not. She remembered on her last Christmas with the Kirklands, she had knitted a warm emerald green jumper for Arthur as his present. He had seemed to like it very much and it had made her blush as much as her ribbons under the grinning face of Fiona (North of Ireland) who seemed to have guessed her feelings. Woman intuition? Seychelles wasn't a little girl anymore, she looked like an 18 year old teen and for Fiona it was obvious that she was in love with her older brother. She smirked as she started to tease her about it. This was their last Christmas together with Seychelles in their family. After that, she became independent and left.

_He looks around the room_

_Innocently overlooks the truth_

_Shouldn't a light go on_

_Doesn't he know that I've had him memorised for so long_

Today is a world conference meeting. Seychelles is sitting next to Madagascar and Taiwan. She became good friends with Taiwan through Hong Kong, whom she met when she still lived with England. She lifted her head from her notes as she heard a familiar shout from a familiar English voice. England was arguing (again) with her papa France, though she hasn't called him 'papa' ever since she went to live with England.

She had been heart broken when she had announced her independence to England. He had stared at her for a long time, expressionless but she could clearly see a spark of pain in his eyes, before he slowly nodded and with a sad smile agreed to her request without any resistance. She could see his pained emerald eyes and felt tears roll down her own cheeks. Arthur had panicked. This was the first time in years that he saw Ariel cry and was immediately at her side trying to understand the reason for her tears. Shouldn't she have been overjoyed from becoming independent at last? So why was her heart breaking and why was she desperately crying all her tears of her body in the arms of her ex – coloniser? And why wasn't he arguing or fighting to keep her? Why would he just let her go … smiling?

After that, they had only seen each other during world conferences and even then they barely talked. It was as if England was trying to avoid pushing her and wanted to give her time and space for herself before they talked again. But Ariel didn't need time or space … all she wanted was to hang out with Arthur like she used to! But now … after their awkward separation, she didn't know how to act with him and was scared to even talk to him. She had sought help with Hong Kong who had listened silently to her troubled heart. Both him and Taiwan were the only one to know about her feelings and they both supported her. But none of them knew how to help. Khou (HK) had tried to engage the topic with England but … Khou never was good at communicating with people and it ended in Arthur telling him about Ariel's past in a factual, informative way mostly focused on her time with Francis. He had thought Khou wanted to know about Seychelles before she became a British colony. It was a complete failure. Time past and now, Ariel was still sitting in her same seat gazing at the same blond angry man across the table. Now, America joined the fight and Prussia was snickering at the three of them. Eventually, Germany brought silence to the room and the meeting could start. Sitting between Prussia and France, England was writing nonchalantly in his notebook.

Ariel saw Prussia lean over to see what the blond was writing before England shoved him away with a glare. He started whispering (so that not to be heard by Germany) with him and although it started like an argument, both ended up grinning together. Ariel had heard that Prussia and England were close friends and had once even been allied. But she couldn't help feeling jealous of the Prussian.

She opened her own notepad and, ignoring the irrational speech of America, started writing Arthur's name (both human and nation) across the pages, each time in a different size and style. Always repeating the same word over and over again. She wasn't good at drawing, nor could she write nice stories like Arthur could, so the only thing she could do to distract herself without staring constantly at her love object, was to focus on writing his name. She felt Taiwan's stare on her notebook and saw her grin as she then pointed discreetly towards the other end of the table. Ariel glanced over and saw England looking at her. He noticed her glance and smiled before turning back to listening to America. She felt her face turn into a tomato and Taiwan was holding back her laughter. She was glad that he took notice of her but … she felt hurt that he just overlooked and didn't spare her a single other look during the whole rest of the meeting. Was she the only one to stare longingly at him? Did he still see her like the little child she was back then? She became independent in order to change his perception of her, to make him see her as more than just a child as and more than just family.

_And he sees everything black and white_

_Never let nobody see him cry_

_And I don't let nobody see me wishing he was mine_

After the meeting, Ariel followed Arthur with her gaze and saw him get in a harsh argument with Ireland. They were both very upset but neither would let it show. Ariel could see Arthur's pain in his beautiful eyes but she knew … she knew that he would just go to the pub, drown his anger in a pint of beer before heading back home. He would never cry. Never show his pain or sorrow to anyone, not his enemies, not his friends and not even his family. When she had lived with him, she noticed that when his pain was so great he couldn't hold back the tears; he would always lock himself in his room and would cry silently. Never letting her comfort him or even see him in a fragile and weak state.

Hong Kong watches the scene in silence while Taiwan was silently encouraging Seychelles over to talk with Arthur. Ariel looked at Prussia and France calming the two brothers down. Ireland eventually left, glaring at anyone in his way to evacuate his anger while England sat back in his chair with a sigh, not paying attention to his talkative Prussian friend. She looked away as she walked passed him and out of the room without a word. She couldn't. She ignored Taiwan's protests and kept walking. She couldn't say it and least of all to him.

_And I could tell you_

_His favourite colour's green_

_He likes to argue_

_Born on the seventeenth_

_His sister's beautiful; he has his father's eyes_

_And if you asked me if I love him, I'd lie_

Ariel was now wishing she hadn't come to that party Japan was organising. She had been invited by both Taiwan and Hong Kong and for the occasion had dressed up in a beautiful ocean blue dress, silver coloured heels with her two crimson ribbons on each side of her head. She hadn't thought that he would be here too but it should have been obvious since he was old friends with the host of the party, Japan. He was talking with Honk Kong, not far from where Seychelles was standing, listening to her 'papa' Francis and Canada. She kept glancing at him. She hadn't seen him from outside business occasions and was now eyeing her ex – coloniser with curiosity. He wore a pair of dark jeans and black sneakers, and green shirt that reflected his amazingly green eyes, and over it a black, waist length jacket. His golden hair was as messy as ever as he ran his hand in them and laughed. Ariel noticed that during the whole time Honk Kong spent with him, the Chinese man had been smiling. This was rare. Khou almost never smiled and if he did it was for just barely a few seconds. Now, after talking with him for more than twenty minutes, Hong Kong hadn't lost his small smile. Seychelles felt another sting in her heart and felt a small jealousy towards her friend. She looked back at the blond man and felt an urge to run to him and hug him like she used to. God! Why was he so attractive? Why was he invading her mind like that ever since she was little?

"Ariel? Ça va pas? Qu'est – ce que tu regardes?" Francis asked as he too looked over at England. Upon seeing his 'petit lapin' as he likes to call him, he happily goes to talk to him (more like tease him), leaving Seychelles alone with Canada. Canada was about to follow when he saw Seychelles' sad face.

"Seychelles?" he asked quietly.

But she didn't hear him. The twenty year old looking girl shook her head and disappeared in the crowed and away from her heartache. It didn't help that upon wandering aimlessly, she fell onto Taiwan and North of Ireland and both seemed eager to help her hook up with England by the end of this party. Before the pretty ginger haired girl with the same sparkling emerald eyes as her love interest could catch her, Ariel managed to escape in the crowd. She excused herself at Japan who looked at her with concern as he noticed her pained expression. But she wouldn't answer him and left in a rush. She headed home and when she was finally alone in her room, she cried. She cried because no matter how much she wanted, she couldn't do it. She couldn't admit her feelings to him.

_He stands there then walks away_

_My god, if I could only say_

_I'm holding every breath for you_

_He'd never tell you _

_But he can play guitar_

_I think he can see through _

_Everything but my heart_

The tanned girl with golden eyes gazed at the guitarist with a longing look on her face. She had wanted a break and her boss had decided to send her on holiday to … England! Seychelles had felt both overjoyed and extremely depressed. What if she bumped into Arthur? But her boss wouldn't let her change his mind and so she went. She was excited as she looked at the changes from the last time she had been in England. Out of nostalgia, she went to that small tailor shop, hoping it was still there, where Arthur had bought her those red ribbons she never takes off. The small shop was gone replaced by a mall filled with clothes and brands. Almost all the little local shops were gone and Seychelles almost didn't recognise the town she had spent half of her life in.

She walked sadly in the close by park and at the following of a soft sound of guitar; she emerged in front of a young blond man, sitting alone in a deserted part of the park, under the falling snow, in the cold, playing on his guitar. The melody was soft but sad, full of sorrow and regret and at that moment, it fitted Seychelles' mood. But her eyes widened at the sight of the man who didn't notice her, with his eyes closed and fully concentrated on his playing. Seychelles wanted to run away but her body wouldn't move. And so she stayed and listened until the end of the song, at which Arthur finally opened his eyes and saw his unexpected listener.

They both stared at each other awkwardly before Arthur smiled softly at her and invited her with a hand gesture to sit next to him. Ariel felt her body move on command as she accepted the seat. They finally talked. Not business, not in a crowded party, not in a group of friends, just the two of them, alone, like they did in the past. Seychelles remembered those winter nights when she was small and used to huddle up next to Arthur, in front of the fire, with a mug of sweet tea in her hands and listening at Arthur's voice as he read her stories.

It felt so similar … too similar … no, it felt the same. It felt exactly the same. Arthur would still talked to her like he did when she was small. Seychelles enjoyed it but … that wasn't what she wanted. Nevertheless, at that moment, she ignored her disappointment and enjoyed her private moment with her life's love.

_First thought when I wake up_

_Is my god he's beautiful_

_So I put on my makeup_

_And pray for a miracle_

After, their meeting and reunion, Arthur had insisted on her staying at his house for her time in England. She accepted with delight and when she had stepped inside the grand mansion once more, it had felt like coming home after a very, very long trip.

The next morning, she woke up with a peaceful feeling she had been missing before. The place, the house, the room, everything was so familiar and how it should be it was almost an absolute truth for her. This is home. Her home with her Arthur.

She sighted. Although it felt like that, Arthur wasn't hers to claim. She got up and dressed herself with more care than usual. She eyed herself for 15 minutes in the mirror before actually being satisfied with her appearance. Something unusual for her, she had put on makeup, all the while, daydreaming about the man next room to hers.

When she was ready and could smell the morning bacon flavour emanating from the kitchen, she eyed herself one last time in the mirror. She suddenly saw Arthur's figure in the reflexion, smiling at her softly. She leaned closer to the mirror, like in a trance, hypnotised by those gorgeous emerald eyes. Arthur's face was so close now … just a few more inches … her lips then made contact with the cold, hard, flat glass of the mirror. Her eyes snapped open and she only saw her own reflexion. She sighted. Coming back had only made her desire greater.

_Yes, I could tell you_

_His favourite colour's green_

_He likes to argue_

_Oh and it kills me_

She arrived in the kitchen. Out the window, she could see the snow starting to fall on the already white property of Lord Kirkland. Arthur looked up as she came in and smiled excitedly before handing her a large mug of warm tea.

"Tea?" he smiled.

Ariel smiled back while accepting it. One sip of it and she felt like rising to heaven. It had been such a long time since she had had Arthur's tea. The creaminess and the sweetness married perfectly to the bitter light taste of the tea leaf. She had tried to reproduce the same taste on her own back at her place but she never quite got it right. There was always something missing. She noticed Arthur's eager gaze on her and shot him a questioning look.

"How is it?" he asked in answer to her look.

"It's … delicious … as always." she mumbled back with an upcoming blush.

"Like before?" he kept asking, unsure.

"Yes … exactly like before." she replied in a low voice and felt her ears grow red as he shot the girl his most handsome smile. He looked please with himself after hearing her answer. Arthur then walked back to frying a couple of eggs for each of them.

"Toast, bacon and egg sound alright?" he asked Seychelles as she took a seat.

"It's good."

They stayed silent a few moments. Then Seychelles finally noticed what Arthur was wearing: an emerald green, hand – made jumper. When the older nation turned back to face her he noticed her surprised stare and smiled. He placed her plate in front of her before sitting across the table with his own plate. She hadn't stopped staring at the jumper.

"Ariel?"

Ariel jumped at the name. After her independence, Arthur had never called her by her human name anymore. She looked up at his angel face, drowning herself in his soft gaze.

"Ariel?" he called again. This time she answered.

"Yes?"

"Don't look so surprise." He laughed.

"Wh … what? About what?"

"You were staring at my jumper in disbelief! Did you think I had thrown it away?" he asked and Seychelles noticed pain in his eyes.

"No! I just … didn't think you'd wear it …"

"Why not? It's a beautiful jumper, it keeps me warm, I like the colour and I like the person who made it. Of course I'd wear it!"

At that, Ariel felt her face warm up.

"You like … the person …"

Arthur frowned in confusion before smiling softly, bringing his face closer and whispered.

"Ariel … don't be silly … I don't like you, I love you." And he kissed her on her forehead lightly.

Ariel froze. By the time, Arthur had gone backwards and in his seat, she realised that she had stopped breathing and was now silently grasping for air.

She felt so confused and torn by her feeling of pure joy and her distress that Arthur's love for her wasn't the same as her own for him.

At that moment, the phone rang and Arthur left the table to pick it up. It was his brother Scotland, they discussed the time of their coming for the Christmas holidays and it somehow ended up in an argument on what decoration to bring, the theme to use and who would be in charge of the Christmas turkey. Even when arguing, Arthur's voice was enchanting. Ariel kept gazing at the angry Englishman with a small nostalgic smile on her lips. It really felt like she was back in time. She liked it but it still wasn't enough. And the pain in her heart hurt so much.

_His sister's beautiful; he has his father's eyes_

_And if you asked me if I love him …_

Arthur then seemed to calm down as Fiona switched with Scot on the other end of the phone. They talked and the discussion somehow led to Ariel as a topic of discussion. After being told of Ariel's stay at Arthur's she insisted on talking to her.

"Hello? Ariel?"

"Fiona?"

"How're ya? How's it goon' with Arthur?"

"Good."

"Good? Tha all ya goon ta say? C'mon! Use tha opportunity!"

"… Thanks Fiona. I'm glad to see you're well. Bye."

Seychelles hung up and handed the phone back to Arthur before North could reply. Arthur looked at her with concern and she smiled reassuringly. But Arthur wasn't duped and leaned close towards her, his sparkling emerald orbs filled with worry and … Ariel found something else in his gaze that she couldn't figure out.

"Ariel … what's wrong? Please tell me. I hate seeing you like that." the man pleaded.

"I … I'm fi …"

"No! You're not. Now, tell me what is bothering you. Let me help you!" he interrupted, determined to get an answer. Ariel tried to look away but he grabbed her chin and forced her to look at his face. Ariel didn't know what to do. Her heart was now beating so fast she was afraid it might explode and her face temperature was rising to the point where she could faint any minute.

"Ariel, please."

Ariel heard his voice ring in her ears. It was so soft and caring yet envious and begging for an answer.

"Ariel, tell me."

Ariel closed her eyes and calmed herself down. When she opened them again, they were filled with all her hidden emotions. Arthur stared in her golden eyes and was shocked to see so much. Pain, sadness, sorrow, joy, excitement, depression, happiness, thrill, … was that lust? And … love? Arthur was so surprised, his hand fell down, letting go of Ariel's chin. But now, Ariel was letting out everything. She didn't think nor explained. She gripped Arthur's shirt and pulled him in a kiss.

_If you ask me if I love him …_

Arthur was taken aback at first but then returned the kiss with passion, surprising Ariel. She expected him to push her back but instead, he circled his arms around her and held her close to his body. She swung her arms around his neck, her hands then ran up through the blonde's messy hair and it felt like silk. She saw that same strange look in Arthur's eyes she had noticed earlier. Ariel then realised it was envy. She saw Arthur's green eyes sparkle even more than usual, filled with envy, passion, lust and unimaginable love. They both parted to grasp for air. Their eyes met and both started laughing like kids. Ariel kissed Arthur in the neck and let her lips lingered there. The man looked down and raised an eyebrow as if seeking permission. She smiled, pressed an impatient, chaste kiss on his lips and the desire she saw in Arthur's eyes reflected very well her own. He picked her up in a bridal way and carried her to his room … their room.

The phone rang.

_I'd lie_

"Fiona, wot are ye so mad 'bout?" a rough Scottish accent called.

"Ariel hung up on me! An' now they both nut answerin'! Wait! Maybe they …!"

"Keep dreamin', dear!"

"But they both …"  
"Aye! I ken! But tha ain't yer business, ain't it? So ye just leave em be an' help me get those Christmas lights down from tha cellar!" the red haired man ordered, his sparkling emerald eyes scolding the ginger haired girl with the same emerald eyes.

"A'rigt! I'm comin'!" she said with a sigh.

Scott smiled wickedly at the thought of getting to tease his younger brother on his love life this Christmas.

"Looks like wer goin' ta hav' one more person at tha Christmas table this year!"


End file.
